12/10/2026
Bonus topic for the week of 10/11/26 - 10/17/26:
Major scientific discoveries have occurred over the centuries, but only about a thousand of those discoverers have won a Nobel prize, mostly because they weren’t given out until 1901. It’s been awarded to women only thirteen times in Chemistry and Physics including twice to Marie Curie, one for each discipline. One name that’s not on the list is English chemist Rosalind Franklin. Considered by many to be the biggest snub in Nobel history, she was instrumental in the discovery of the double helix model of DNA, but never received the credit. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a scientist. She graduated from Cambridge in 1941 at the age of 21 and earned a PHD in chemistry in 1945. It was around this time that Franklin started working with X-ray crystallography. This branch of science deals with X-ray diffraction that allows for a three-dimensional picture of the electrons of crystals, positions of atoms, chemical bonds and multiple other uses. She was granted a three-year fellowship at London’s Kings College where she continued her work in crystallography. Originally studying proteins and lipids, she was later assigned to researching recent breakthroughs in the field of DNA. The eventual recipients of the Nobel prize for the DNA model, Francis Crick and James Watson, were simultaneously researching it as well. Franklin’s fellow researcher and rival, Maurice Wilkins, was a friend of Watson’s and shared some of the discoveries that Franklin and her graduate student, Raymond Gosling had found. She had theorized that the shape of a DNA strand was some type of helical structure, but hadn’t quite figured it out. Gosling had been taking pictures of their crystallography experiments through the use of a microcamera and finally in 1952, one of those photos captured the double-helix shape of DNA. This photo was given to Wilkins by the head of the department which was then shared with Crick and Watson. This allowed them to construct a new DNA model which they published in 1952. With any major discovery, it takes years of observation and the acceptance of the scientific community, before a Nobel prize could even be considered. It wasn’t until 1962 that the award was given to them. During those nine years however, Rosalind Franklin died of cancer and was ineligible to receive the Nobel prize. As a result, the third name on the award was none other than her rival, Maurice Wilkins. Despite the clear disregard for those scientists who pass away before they can achieve the recognition of a major discovery, the Nobel prize committee has made only slight changes since their foundation in 1901. The only exception is if a recipient dies after the winner is announced. What an egregious slight to the legacy of Rosalind Franklin.
This week’s bonus question:
What was the name of the famous photo that captured the first image of a DNA strand?
Bring your answer to this week’s trivia for a bonus point